Detained Ma’aleh Rehavam protesters conditionally released

Thursday, February 14, 2013, 16:20 During disturbances which broke out yesterday throughout Israel following the demolition of a neighborhood in the Etzion Bloc community Ma’aleh Rehavam 18 youths were detained. Today (Thursday February 14) most of them were brought to court to be conditionally released.
The police demanded restraining orders banning all of the detainees from entering Jerusalem for a period of 30 days. Also the police demanded bail of 2,000 NIS. Attorney Ben-Gvir, who represented the detainees, presented to the court the ruling of Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinish that the decision to issue such a restraining order without an indictment is rarely accepted. Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Dorit Feinstein accepted the statement made by Ben-Gvir and ruled that the detainees will be released on condition of a 14 day restraining order banning them from entering only the site of the demonstration in which they participated. Also Judge Feinstein rejected the demand of a large bail and set the sum at 500 NIS, and only for the detainees who were accused of assaulting a policeman.
During the late afternoon an additional detainee was brought to the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court for a deliberation. The youth was accused of organizing the demonstration in which he participated yesterday and detained in the evening on the same day in his yeshiva dormitory in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem.
The youth was transferred later the same day to the Ariel Police Station where he was interrogated until 3:00 A.M. On Thursday (February 14) morning the youth was placed in a police line-up and according to the police was identified by a senior officer who was present during the incident as someone who had participated. The Honenu representative present at the line-up asked the officer if he had been acquainted with the youth before the line-up and after a several questions the officer was forced to admit that he had seen a photograph of the youth a short time after the demonstration.
In the deliberation which took place at the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court the police demanded a remand extension of three days on the youth in order to complete the investigation. Honenu attorney Yossi Lin, who represented the youth, asked the court to reject the police request. According to Lin the timing of the investigation and the demand for a remand of such a long length were difficult to understand. During the deliberation the police did not make use of the results of the police line-up which took place in the morning.
Judge Oshrit Rotkopf released the youth to house arrest for three days and demanded that a third party party sign on bail. The police demand to delay carrying out the decision to release the youth was rejected by the judge.
In an additional deliberation which took place today at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court the youths suspected of assaulting Arab taxi drivers were released from house arrest. Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir of Honenu summarizes the events of the day in the various courts, “The courts sent a clear message to the police that they must stop harassing right-wingers and demonstrators. I hope that the police internalizes the message and starts to understand that also right-wingers have the right to demonstrate and protest, especially in the serious situation of Jews being forcibly removed from their homes.”